The same scenario of the 2005 Champions League final has repeated itself halfway after Tunisian hosts Etoile du Sahel were held by Ahli of Egypt 0-0 in the first leg match in Sousse on Saturday. Inas Mazhar watched from the stands Two years ago, these same two teams played for the biggest African football club prize. The first game ended 0-0, the same score as that of last Saturday. It wasn't only the goalless draw result that repeated itself; the venue of the second-leg match on 9 November will be the Military Stadium in Cairo. Two years ago Ahli thrashed the Tunisians 3-0 in the second leg in the same stadium which must be used again this year as Cairo Stadium is booked because of the pan-Arab Games. Since the club's arrival in Sousse, beating Ahli and winning the cup had been the talk of this town. Officials, team players, media and the public were extremely confident of winning the first leg in Sousse, then working on dethroning Ahli in Cairo. All kinds of pre-celebrations in the Mediterranean city were being held and in the stadium as soon as the referee whistled for the kick- off, a huge flag saying Etoile will make it to Japan for the World Club Championships via the pyramids was unfurled. While more than 20,000 spectators expected an entertaining game between the best two teams on the continent, they were largely disappointed after the match, admitting it was a lacklustre performance by both squads. "I paid three dinars to watch the African champions play, to enjoy the excitement of world- class football but I was disappointed. There was nothing to watch especially from Ahli. They are a big team so how could they play only defence the entire match, all of them defending?" asked an angry steward in the hotel. In the match, the Tunisians hit the post through Mohamed Ali Nafkha in the 32nd minute after a rare mistake by Ahli defender Wa'el Gomaa. Gilson 'Ja' Silva blazed wide when through on goal early in the second half for Etoile, while Ahli had two genuine penalty appeals rejected, the most certain of which was that of Mohamed Barakat in the first half in which a Tunisian defender had obstructed the midfielder and pulled him from his shorts. But Cameroon referee Evehe Divine not only denied Barakat a penalty but showed him the yellow card for simulation. The warning will deny Barakat, named the MVP of the 2005 tournament, the chance of taking part in the second leg match in Cairo. Ahli, who are targetting a record third consecutive title, are also targeting a record sixth success in a competition they first won 25 years ago. Etoile have lifted every African Football Confederation club trophy except the Champions League, where they also finished runners-up in 2004 having come short in a penalty shootout against Enyimba of Nigeria. The home team had started the match with some impressive attempts to score but Ahli's goalkeeper, the experienced Essam El-Hadari, was up to all tests that followed throughout the game. The closest the Tunisians came in the 32nd minute when Nafkha's shot from Gomaa's blunder rattled the post to the relief of the Egyptians, who approached the game with a defensive mind. Etoile increased the pressure in the second half, with Cape Verde 's Gilson Da Silva leading the onslaught while Ahli made occasional runs up front. Gilson wasted another bright opportunity to give Etoile the lead in the 54th minute when he blasted wide on a one-on-one with goalkeeper El-Hadari. Tunisian hopes to break the deadlock were dealt a severe blow when Mehdi Meriah was sent off by Divine for fouling Barakat with 13 minutes to go in the match. L' Etoile's teenager Amine Chermiti came close to scoring a winner but his goal-bound shot brushed the top corner to the disappointment of the local fans. Statements that followed the match from both sides agreed that both teams have an equal chance in the second-leg. The Tunisians were optimistic. "We can still win, it is not the end of it," said Galal Kerifa, vice president of Etoile. "We played a good game and I think it will be a better result in Cairo and we will claim the cup." Etoile player Bukari Sadat said it wasn't an easy match, but he still believed they could do it. "Ahli is a very big team. It wasn't an easy game and I don't think it would be any easier in Cairo, but we will do our best." French coach Bertrand Marchand of l'Etoile was optimistic as well. "This is a good result for us. Ahli is a big team and more experienced than us but we can still make it. We played a good match from our side and my players did their best and I'm glad with the result. We are looking forward to the final in Cairo." The Egyptian side also believes the Cairo final won't be easy for the defending champions. "It is 50-50. I always said I don't like the 0-0 result, but it happened and I'm not happy with it," Ahli's head coach Manuel Jose said. "I didn't plan for this result, but had Barakat scored that goal or the referee awarded him a penalty, the result would have changed. But warning Barakat was unbelievable because the yellow card will deny him the next match. I think CAF should watch this game again and drop Barakat's warning," Jose said. "Etoile played better this year. In 2005, they were afraid of us, but this year, they are ambitious. They are a new team and young enthusiastic players, but we are not too old as some have described us, claiming our time is over. We are still there. "Now, we will have to play hard because in Cairo it is going to be the last game. Our only chance to keep the cup is to win and nothing else. We will work hard on that in order to ensure the cup stays in Cairo," Jose said. Defender Islam El-Shatter said that even though Ahli failed to score this time in Sousse, they will make it up in the second-leg. "It wasn't an easy game for either team, but we will do our best to win the cup for a third time," El-Shatter said. Three Tunisian teams have reached the African Champions League final in the past decade but all have failed to lift the cup. A 3-0 aggregate defeat to Ahli denied Etoile the title two years ago in Cairo, a year after they were beaten by Nigerian side Enyimba on penalties. CS Sfaxien lost last year's final to Ahli while Esperance lost consecutive finals in 1999 and 2000.
